1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a parking operation aiding system for aiding drivers in performing a backward parking or a longitudinal parking is conducted.
2. Description of the Related Art
A parking operation aiding system is already known from Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-157404. In this parking operation aiding system, a target parking position is determined in accordance with a situation of a surrounding obstacle detected by a camera, a radar, a corner sensor or the like, and a recommended locus from a current vehicle position to the target parking position is calculated. Then, the recommended locus is displayed on a display unit along with an image of the target parking position, thereby indicating steering operation, a braking operation, an operation of an accelerator pedal, a gear-change operation to a driver to aid the parking operation.
When it is difficult to aid the parking operation due to the extent of the target parking position or the situation of the surrounding obstacle, the vehicle can be guided accurately to the target position in some cases when the vehicle is turned-back in the course of backward movement of the vehicle toward the target parking position. However, this prior art parking operation aiding system suffers from a problem that it cannot in some cases, determine whether the parking is possible without the turning-back of the vehicle. This results in poor performance when the system cannot aid the parking operation without turning back the vehicle.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a parking operation aiding system, wherein the driver""s parking operation can be aided to the maximum in accordance with the extent of the target parking position and the situation of the surrounding obstacle.
To achieve the above object, a parking operation aiding system according to the present invention can have an arrangement shown in a claim-correspondence figure in FIG. 2.
More specifically, according to one aspect of the present invention, provided is a parking operation aiding system comprising a display for displaying parking-aiding information. The information may include at least a target parking position and a vehicle position that can be visually confirmed by a driver. The system may also include a locus calculating means for calculating an expected movement locus of the vehicle at any point of time based on a predetermined steering angle, an interference determining means for determining whether the expected movement locus calculated by the locus calculating means will interfere with the target parking position, and an information determining means for determining subsequent parking operation aiding information based on the result of the determination provided by the interference determining means.
With the above arrangement, when it is determined by the interference determining means whether the expected movement locus for the vehicle calculated by the locus calculating means will interfere with the target parking position, the information determining means determines the subsequent parking operation aiding information based on the result of the interference determining means. Therefore, the parking operation aiding information, including the target parking position and the vehicle position, displayed on the display, can be changed depending on the presence or absence of the interference. Thus, the parking operation aiding information, which depends on the presence or absence of the interference of the expected movement locus with the target parking position, can be provided to the driver, and the effective aiding of the parking operation can be always carried out irrespective of the situation of the extent of the target parking position and a surrounding obstacle.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the display may further display the expected movement locus calculated by the locus calculating means so that it can be visually confirmed by the driver. The display may change and display the positional relationship of the expected movement locus to the target parking position in response to at least either one of the movement of the vehicle and change of the steering angle.
With this arrangement, the display is able to display the expected movement locus for the vehicle in addition to the target parking position and the vehicle position, and can further display the positional relationship of the expected movement locus to the target parking position in a changed manner in response to at least either one of the movement of the vehicle and the change of the steering angle. Therefore, the driver can reliably recognize that the vehicle will be moved through what path toward the target position.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the predetermined steering angle may be the largest clockwise or counterclockwise steering angle.
With this arrangement, the expected movement locus calculated by the locus calculating means can be provided based on when the steering angle is the largest clockwise or counterclockwise steering angle. Therefore, the driver can guide the vehicle to the target parking position by moving the vehicle backwards with the steering angle only maintained at the largest steering angle, and the driver""s driving operation is simplified. Thus, the driver can pay more attention to the surroundings.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the display can further display an expected parking position on top of the expected movement locus calculated by the locus calculating means.
With this arrangement, the expected parking position on top of the expected movement locus is displayed on the display, and hence, the driver can compare the two and more reliably visually confirm that the vehicle can be moved to the target parking position.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the interference determining means may determine whether the expected movement locus will interfere with the target parking position when the expected parking position is matched with the target parking position. Therefore, the driver can recognize whether the interference will occur when the vehicle has been moved from the current position to the target parking position.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the interference determining means may determine that the expected movement locus will interfere with the target parking position when an inner side of the vehicle, as viewed in a turning direction during movement of the vehicle toward the target parking position, will interfere with the target parking position laying inside in the turning direction. Therefore, it is possible to reliably determine a possibility of the interference in a position where the interference is most liable to occur.
According to another aspect of the present invention, when the interference determining means determines that the expected movement locus will interfere with the target parking position, the display can display an interfering position to be visually confirmed by the driver. Therefore, the driver can reliably recognize in which position that the interference will occur.
According to another aspect of the present invention, when the interference determining means determines that the expected movement locus will interfere with the target parking position, additional parking operation aiding information can be provided to the driver to confirm the presence of another vehicle located sideways of the target parking position. Therefore, the driver can recognize whether the interference with the other vehicle will occur actually.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the information determining means may include a turn-back validity determining means for determining whether the interference can be avoided by the turn-back movement of the vehicle, when the interference determining means determines that the expected movement locus will interfere with the target parking position. Therefore, the driver can recognize whether the parking operation should be restarted from the beginning, or if can be continued by conducting the turn-back movement of the vehicle.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the turn-back validity determining means can determine whether the turn-back movement is valid or not if an extension line from a side of the vehicle having a possibility of interference will not make contact with the target parking position or not. Therefore, it is possible to reliably determine the validity of the turn-back movement.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the information determining means may include a selecting means for selecting the turn-back movement. When the turn-back movement is selected, the locus calculating means can select an expected movement locus which will not interfere with the target parking position and the display can display a target turn-back position closer to the target parking position on top of the expected movement locus. Therefore, the driver can guide the vehicle without hindrance by moving the vehicle to the target turn-back position on the expected movement locus.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the display may display an expected movement locus based on an actual steering angle in place of the expected movement locus based on the predetermined steering angle, and may display a target turn-back position depending on the expected movement locus depending on the actual steering angle on such expected movement locus. Therefore, the driver can guide the vehicle to the target turn-back position by the steering operation.
According to another aspect of the present invention, when the vehicle reaches the target turn-back position and the turn-back operation is started, the display may display parking operation aiding information indicating a moving direction for the vehicle. Therefore, the driver can conduct the turn-back operation easily and reliably.
According to another aspect of the present invention, when the interference determining means determines that the expected movement locus will not interfere with the target parking position, the subsequent parking operation aiding information may be indicated. When such indication is carried out, the locus calculating means can calculate an expected movement locus based on the actual steering angle, and the display can display the expected movement locus.
With this arrangement, the indication of the parking operation aiding information is carried out after it is determined that the interference will not occur. The expected movement locus depending on the actual steering angle is calculated in place of the expected movement locus depending on the predetermined steering angle and is displayed on the display. Therefore, the driver can guide the vehicle to the target parking position, while conducting the fine regulation of the steering angle.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the display can display the expected movement locus depending on the actual steering angle in place of the expected movement locus depending on the predetermined steering angle. The display can also display an expected parking position depending on the expected movement locus on top of such expected movement locus.
With this arrangement, the expected movement locus depending on the actual steering angle is displayed on the display. Further, the expected parking position depending on the expected movement locus is displayed on top of the expected movement locus on the display. Therefore, the driver can guide the vehicle more reliably to the target parking position, while conducting the fine regulation of the steering angle.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the display can be adapted to change the displaying form between a form depending on the predetermined steering angle and a form depending on the actual steering angle. Therefore, the driver can reliably grasp whether the current displaying depends on the predetermined and actual steering angles.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the change of the displaying form may include a change of a displayed color and/or the change of the type of a displayed line. Therefore, the driver can more reliably grasp whether the current displaying is depending on which of the predetermined and actual steering angles.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.